The present invention relates to a remanufacturing method for a process cartridge.
Here, the process cartridge is a cartridge containing at least a developing roller as developing means and an electrophotographic photosensitive member as a unit, the cartridge being detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
The electrophotographic image forming apparatus is an apparatus in which an image is formed on a recording material (recording paper, textile or the like) using an electrophotographic image forming process, and includes an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (an LED printer, a laser beam printer and so on), an electrophotographic printer-type facsimile machine, an electrophotographic word processor, and the like.
In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic image forming process, a process cartridge is used which integrally contains an electrophotographic photosensitive member and process means actable on the electrophotographic photosensitive member, the process cartridge being detachably mountable to the main assembly of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. With this process-cartridge type, the maintenance of the apparatus can be carried out in effect without service people. Therefore, this process-cartridge type is widely used in the field of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
Such a process cartridge forms an image on recording material with toner. Therefore, the toner is consumed in accordance with image forming operations. When the toner is consumed to such an extent that the user is not satisfied with the image quality of the image produced by the process cartridge, the commercial value of the process cartridge is lost.
It is desired that such a used process cartridge is given commercial value again by remanufacturing the process cartridge through an easy method.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a remanufacturing method of a process cartridge.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a remanufacturing method of a process cartridge in which when the process cartridge is transported, the toner is prevented from leaking out.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a remanufacturing method of a process cartridge, wherein the process cartridge with which the toner is consumed to such an extent that the user is not satisfied with the image quality is recycled to be given a commercial value.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a remanufacturing method of remanufacturing a process cartridge comprising:
(a) a step of preparing a used process cartridge which comprises a toner developing container, a cleaning container and pins for coupling the toner developing container and the cleaning container at opposite longitudinal ends of the process cartridge,
the toner developing container including a toner accommodating portion, a toner supply opening, a developing roller and a developing blade;
the cleaning container including an electrophotographic photosensitive drum;
(b) a container separating step of separating the process cartridge into the toner developing container and the cleaning container by disengaging the pins from the process cartridge;
(c) a developing roller dismounting step of dismounting the developing roller from the toner developing container separated by the container separating step;
(d) a developing blade dismounting step of dismounting the developing blade from the toner developing container separated by the container separating step;
(e) a sealing material filling step of filling a sealing material into a gap formed in the toner developing container extending longitudinally inside of an end seal provided at each of longitudinally opposite ends thereof;
(f) a developing blade mounting step of mounting the developing blade on the toner developer container having the sealing material;
(g) a developing roller mounting step of mounting the developing roller on the toner developer container having the sealing material;
(h) a toner refilling step of refilling the toner into the toner accommodating portion of the toner developing container having the sealing material, the developing blade and the developing roller; and
(i) a container coupling step of coupling the toner developing container having the sealing material, the developing blade and the developing roller with the cleaning container by engaging the pin into them.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a remanufacturing method of remanufacting a process cartridge comprising:
(a) a step of preparing a used process cartridge which comprises a toner developing container, a cleaning container and pins for coupling the toner developing container and the cleaning container at opposite longitudinal ends of the process cartridge,
the toner developing container including a toner accommodating portion, a toner supply opening, a developing roller and a developing blade;
the cleaning container including an electrophotographic photosensitive drum;
(b) a container separating step of separating the process cartridge into the toner developing container and the cleaning container by disengaging the pins from the process cartridge;
(c) a developing roller dismounting step of dismounting the developing roller from the toner developing container separated by the container separating step;
(d) a developing blade dismounting step of dismounting the developing blade from the toner developing container separated by the container separating step;
(e) a sealing material filling step of filling a sealing material into a gap formed in the toner developing container extending longitudinally inside of an end seal provided at each of longitudinally opposite ends thereof;
(f) a sealing material applying step of applying a sealing material to cover a portion of a sealing member exposed from the toner developing container, the sealing member being the provided at each of the opposite longitudinal ends at a position remote from the developing roller;
(g) a developing blade mounting step of mounting the developing blade on the toner developer container having the sealing material;
(h) a developing roller mounting step of mounting the developing roller on the toner developer container having the sealing material;
(i) a toner refilling step of refilling the toner into the toner accommodating portion of the toner developing container having the sealing material, the developing blade and the developing roller; and
(j) a container coupling step of coupling the toner developing container having the sealing material, the developing blade and the developing roller with the cleaning container by engaging the pins into them.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon a consideration of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.